Using Learning Catalytics in class (Team-Based)

Whether your class takes place in a classroom or online, you'll want to ensure that the appropriate requirements are in place before you begin. If you haven't done so already, read these topics:

Overview: Learning Catalytics, particularly the Before you begin section

Enable Learning Catalytics for students

Note: For students who don’t have a device, you can supply a printed PDF version of the module questions. In the list of modules for a Learning Catalytics course, click in the row for the module, and then select Create PDF.

1. Open the course that contains the module you'll be using in class.

   • Your Learning Catalytics course opens automatically if you cross over from the corresponding Mastering course.

   • If you are already in a different course in Learning Catalytics, click Courses and select the course you want.

     

2. From the list of modules, open the module you will use.
3. When you're ready, click Start session.

Students using a smartphone or small tablet go to learningcatalytics.com and sign in with the Pearson username and password they used to enroll in your Mastering course. When prompted, they supply the session ID (the number in parentheses at the top of the student screen).

On a laptop or larger tablet, students can also sign in to your Mastering course and click Join Now to join a session.

When students have joined the session in a course that is associated with a seat map, they are prompted to identify the seat (or virtual seat) they occupy.

Then students are able to begin answering questions individually, unless they must first form temporary teams (see the next section).

To see how joining and participating in a session is described for students, see Student Help for Learning Catalytics. (Click Back to return to Instructor Help.)

If the module setting for Team Assignments uses permanent groups, students see the Individual Round without having to form teams.

If you use temporary groups:

1. You can tell students the team names to use and which team each student should join when they are prompted to select a team, or students can create their own team names and groups.

   

2. As students join a group, each team member sees names of all students on the team.

   

3. You see Team Formation on your screen, and you can monitor to decide when to start the Individual Round.

   

If you are using permanent groups, skip to step 2.

1. When teams are formed, click Start individual round to display the first question.

   

2. Students can navigate to questions in any order and change their answers any time during the Individual Round. You can monitor responses and reactions on your screen in real time. You may need to refresh your browser to see these changes:

   • Anonymous responses: As students answer questions you have delivered (in any order, with the ability to change their answers at any time during the round), you see information about their responses to each question displayed on your screen to the right of the question.

     

   • Specific student responses: If your course is associated with a seat map, you can click Show seat map of responses to display shading for seats that have responded: green (correct) and red (incorrect). You can point to any seat in the seat map to see the student's name and response. Note that this works for online sessions, as well.

   • Reactions: If, in the course settings, you have enabled the "I don't understand" button and the real-time graph, you can click Reactions at the top of the instructor dashboard to display (and hide) a graph that shows when and how many students have indicated that they're confused.

     

     The line automatically drops after a minute unless one or more students click "I don't understand" again.

1. When students have completed the Individual Round, click Start team round.

   

   Note: For online sessions, students can establish chat rooms outside of Learning Catalytics to discuss the question with team members.

   As students work in groups, they agree upon one response to submit for the team. To assist that process, they have access to all the responses their team members submitted during the Individual Round. Any student can click Show my team's responses.

   

   When a team member submits the team's answers, all team members see answer feedback. If you have enabled multiple attempts in the module settings, the team can submit another answer (generally for fewer points). A different person can submit the next response, but teams need to remember to coordinate their input because each response to the same question is considered to be another attempt.

2. As team responses come in, you see information about the Team Round to the right of the information about the Individual Round.

   

Don't forget to click Stop session to trigger the following:

• Scores are sent to the Learning Catalytics Gradebook.
• If you have enabled Gradebook Transfer (module setting), scores are transferred to the Mastering Gradebook and to each student's Scores page (visible to students).
• If you have allowed students to review their results (module setting), and if any review delay period has elapsed (course setting), students can review the session's questions, their own responses, and the correct answers.

If a team reports that more than one student has submitted a response, and some of those responses did not represent the team's answer, you can click Revert to previous attempt to select the team's answer for affected students.